178 | theceomagazine.com
TIMELESS LUXE
The new DB11 retains the aura of timeless British luxury
for which the marque is renowned, yet it still manages
to move the game forward from its predecessor with
more aggressive, modern styling.
Wrench your eyes away from that classic silhouette
- if you can – and you’ll discover some striking new
aero touches, like those cool ‘curlicue vents’ above the
wheels, which draw air away to improve downforce,
but also create the illusion that the DB11 is moving,
even when parked outside your country estate.
A criticism of the whole Aston range, including the
DB9, was that each model looked a bit samey, a bit too
inbred – like another famous British dynasty we won’t
mention. The DB9 bore shades of the Vanquish; the
Vanquish resembled the Vantage. Not anymore. The
DB11 is clearly its own man, and all the better for it.
It’s obvious where Aston has done its best work as
soon as you plant yourself behind the steering wheel.
The DB11 is a GT car, or grand tourer, put on this planet
for sumptuous long drives, not heart-stopping bombs
around snaky mountain roads. And yet here we are on
the media launch in northern Spain, doing exactly that.
What kind of dark arts have been summoned to
make this possible? The first DB11 was showcased
earlier in the year with a V12 engine, but on this test
we’re babysitting its little brother, if you can call a
twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 ‘little’. This powerplant
has been sourced (and subsequently adapted) from
the Mercedes hot-rod division, AMG, and generates
375kW and 675Nm, more than enough for shouty
thrills on any road.
INDULGE | Motor torque